obsessive-compulsive

American  

[uhb-ses-iv-kuhm-puhl-siv] / əbˈsɛs ɪv kəmˈpʌl sɪv /

adjective

1. noting or relating to a personality characterized by perfectionism, indecision, conscientiousness, concern with detail, rigidity, and inhibition.

2. Psychiatry. noting or relating to a disorder or neurosis characterized by persistent intrusion of unwanted thoughts (obsessions) or the performance of actions, as repeated hand-washing, that one is unable to stop (compulsions).

   obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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noun

1. a person having obsessive-compulsive traits.

Etymology

Origin of obsessive-compulsive

First recorded in 1925–30; obsessive ( def. ) + compulsive ( def. )

Explanation

Anything that's obsessive-compulsive relates to a kind of anxiety characterized by a combination of obsessive thoughts and repetitive behaviors that help relieve the anxiety these thoughts cause. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder that causes people to think or worry obsessively, and to become so anxious that they feel a need (or compulsion) to perform some kind of ritual. These obsessive-compulsive actions can include counting, tapping things, moving or jerking their bodies, turning lights on and off, and nail biting. The term obsessive-compulsive dates from the 1920s, combining Latin roots obsessus, "besiege," and compulsus, "forced."

Example Sentences

Her first major contribution to the field of anxiety and fear-based disorders was in the 1970s and ’80s, with a therapy called exposure and response prevention that she used to treat patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Some people have panic attacks as one-offs while others might have them as part of other mental health problems such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or generalised anxiety disorder.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

Tony Shalhoub suits up in brown once again as the obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk in “Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie,” premiering Friday on Peacock.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2025

Clinicians continue to debate how best to define it, as orthorexia can share features of anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

From Slate • May 25, 2025

“It helps to be an obsessive-compulsive geek. With no life.”

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline